Banyana Banyana keeper, Andile Dlamini says the absence of a professional league will continue to expose South Africa’s soft under-belly in international football. An under-strength Banyana were beaten 3- by Jamaica in an international friendly in Montego Bay on Saturday morning.

And Jamaica is ranked just eight places higher on the FIFA Women’s World Rankings. But Dlamini has urged her teammates to stand up and be counted in the second and final international friendly against Jamaica at the same venue on Tuesday morning.

Banyana Banyana are determined to make amends when they face Jamaica in their second international friendly on the road.

Jamaica is ranked 42nd on the FIFA world rankings, which is eight places higher than Banyana. But despite having travelled with a new-look team, 32-year-old Banyana Banyana keeper Andile Dlamini says it is always tough to play against nations who have full-time women’s leagues.

“It’s a process like I said it just needs positivity, and positive mind set and the willingness to just be on the field and die on that field. I guess ten years ago, I wasn’t the same Andile I’m right now and I believe that everyone deserves a chance and an opportunity to actually learn and gain more experience so that they can compete at the highest level. Whether we like it or we don’t, we don’t have a professional league. We still need a professional league in our country where woman will actually stop working and actually focus on their football,” says Dlamini.

Dlamini realises there are areas they need to seriously improve to stand any chance of beating Jamaica.

“We’ve been talking with the team, and I mean the biggest thing is converting chances and just creating chances. I mean moving quick off the ball, creating spaces for our teammates and being compact when we defend, you know, apply the defensive principles. Sometimes, like I said, we have younger players who you need to constantly remind, but at the same time, you are also in the game and focusing on your game. So, it’s just a matter of reminding each other of those principles, so that we can perform to the best of abilities. This is the beginning of the new journey,” she says.

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis agrees that her players must improve on their decision making, especially on attack.

“One of the things we sort of discussed was our decision making in the final third. I think we created a few, get out of our build up, the last runs upfront not a lot of movement for us to create those opportunities and also when we get into those areas that we don’t become intentional to either shoot we rather pass the ball to someone,”

Ellis says she will continue to give new players a chance to prove themselves before she finalizes her team for next year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

“Unfortunately, you are playing against a tough opponent like Jamaica but that is the process where you want to give opportunities to players to test them at this level because you cannot bring them with and not test them. We are hoping to give more players an opportunity but obviously the game dictates that as well, but it’s important that we come away from this game having looked at as many players as we can,”

The two international friendlies against Jamaica are part of the preparations for next year’s Wafcon tournament. And Banyana are desperate to break their losing streak on the road. They also lost to Denmark and England in October.

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